


Til We Meet Again (Don't Make It Anytime Soon)

by lost_spook



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Community: dw_straybunnies, Gen, Humor, The Brigadier has too many women in his office
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-29
Updated: 2011-04-29
Packaged: 2017-10-18 19:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/192297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_spook/pseuds/lost_spook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are three women in the Brigadier's office.  This may be the most improbable thing that ever happened on UNIT grounds...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Til We Meet Again (Don't Make It Anytime Soon)

Doris fingered the short postcard, turning it over to read its peremptory message again before replacing it in her handbag. She hadn’t heard from Alistair since – well, for simply ages, she thought, but best not to dwell on things. And he would hardly have asked her to come if there hadn’t been a good reason for it. She couldn’t deny that, despite everything, she wasn’t averse to seeing him again.

She had been waiting for him here for at least ten minutes now, however. She glanced up at the clock, even as the door to his office opened, and a young woman wearing a smart beige jacket, matching short skirt and long boots walked in. On seeing nobody at the desk, and Doris sitting in a chair to the side, she hesitated, tilting her head in a gesture of enquiry.

“He seems to be out,” Doris said, helpfully. “Or did you want me, perhaps?”

The other woman paused. “Oh, well, that’s just typical of him! First, he has the nerve to demand I come haring down here from Cambridge, and then he can’t be bothered to even be here when I turn up. I suppose that was what the Sergeant was trying to say when I marched on past. How annoying – I was looking forward to giving him a piece of my mind.”

“I doubt it would make much impact,” put in Doris, amused by this. She liked the newcomer, despite her potentially off-putting air of efficiency and sharp tongue. “At least, not unless he’s changed a great deal.”

The other woman stopped, and gave her a more curious look. She held out her hand with a smile. “Liz Shaw. I used to work here, as assistant to the scientific advisor.”

Cambridge, she remembered her saying, adding those statements together and coming to a sensible total. “Something tells me you must be terribly clever.”

Liz, used to arguing to almost everyone, that, yes, she was, hesitated, her lip quivering, because to agree seemed boastful, and to disagree was untruthful. “Dr Elizabeth Shaw,” she said, instead, taking the chair next to her. “How about you?”

“Oh, I’m nobody much,” said Doris, giving her a bright, charming smile, her eyes almost impossibly blue. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what I’m doing here.”

*

Liz got up and strode about the room. She had no idea what the Brigadier – Alistair, she corrected herself, still finding it hard not to use his title, even now – had wanted. She hoped that it was business rather than pleasure, especially with this strange woman also here.

She looked over at her again. She was not as young as she’d first thought, probably the same sort of age as Liz herself, but blonde and doll-like, but Liz had a feeling from the glimmer of humour she’d seen in those china-blue eyes, that appearances were deceptive in her case. And this being UNIT, she could be anyone, from alien to victim and all shades in between.

“If he’s not here in ten minutes, I’m driving straight back to Cambridge,” she announced. “He can come and see me if it’s so important. Does he imagine I don’t have work of my own?”

“It may not have crossed his mind,” Doris agreed, even though it had been a rhetorical question. “He can be rather like that.”

Liz bristled slightly, despite herself. “I’m fully aware of that,” she said. “I worked for him for a year. I’ve never met such an infuriating man – and, considering what I have to deal with daily, that’s saying something!”

“Really?” the other woman said, politely raising her eyebrows. “If you say so.”

She coloured, irritated with herself for having strayed into exaggeration, and for being caught out by the other. “Have you had to work for him?”

“No.”

“Well,” said Liz. “He is. At least this time he didn’t have me dragged here by clumsy idiots in oversized boots. Soldiers!”

Doris seemed to be biting back laughter. “My dear,” she said, “I’m surprised that you lasted a whole year if that’s the case.”

“There were compensations,” admitted Liz with a gleam in her eye.

They both turned, as the door opened, but it wasn’t the man himself, or even the Sergeant. A neatly-dressed, dark-haired woman entered cautiously. She paused on seeing the other two.

“Oh. I don’t think I can have come to the right place,” she said. “I’m sure the Sergeant directed me in here. It always _used_ to be his office -.”

Doris said, “If you’re looking for Colonel – sorry, no, _Brigadier_ – Lethbridge-Stewart, so are we.”

“You are?” she said.

Liz couldn’t wonder at her surprise. She folded her arms, thinking this over. “Were you summoned here, too?”

“He said he needed to see me,” the newcomer returned. “I assumed it was important, since it’s been a while since _that’s_ been the case.”

This, decided Liz, was odd. She couldn’t remember seeing this many females in UNIT at one time when she’d been here, and now they’d all landed up in the Brigadier’s office at the same moment. _Very_ odd. “I’m Liz Shaw. And you are?”

“I _was_ Mrs Lethbridge-Stewart,” she said, without softening. Then she did smile. “I expect it would be easier if you called me Fiona.”

Liz nodded. Something was definitely going on, and that made her even more curious about Doris’s identity.

“Well,” said Doris, getting to her feet in a smart movement. “As you say, Dr Shaw, this is outrageous behaviour on his part. I’ve waited here quite long enough and I’m not going to put up with it for a minute longer! I shall leave at once.”

Liz would have followed her lead, but at that point, the door opened again, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart strolled in. He took two strides into the room, and then stopped abruptly on taking in all three of his visitors. “Good Lord,” he said, eventually.

“Yes,” said Fiona. “Although why you’re looking so surprised, Alistair, I don’t know. You asked me to come!”

*

The Brigadier was not often stumped, but this was a bit much. It would have been enough of a shock to find Fiona in his office, claiming he’d asked for her when he was sure he hadn’t, but to discover her in here along with Liz, and Doris took the episode into the sort of surreal realms he usually only associated with the Doctor.

“I didn’t ask any of you to come,” he said, moving over to his desk, and sitting down. It felt a little safer there, although he would only be happy once he’d removed all three of them from his office, and, preferably, out of UNIT HQ altogether. Certainly, if Fiona gathered who Doris was, the scene would rapidly degenerate and he had other things to do this morning. Phoning Whitehall for instance, and reporting that no one had yet explained the strange disappearances off the south-east coast. He hadn’t been looking forward to that when he’d walked in, but it suddenly seemed far more appealing than it had a few minutes ago.

Doris already had her bag in hand, as if she’d been about to leave. “Well!” she said. “I like that. You sent me this.”

He took the postcard she passed him and raised his eyebrows. “Not my handwriting,” he said. “Strange.”

“Well, I assumed you’d ordered one of your men to write it,” she returned.

“Yes, in that off-hand, officious way of yours,” Liz added, but she was frowning. “I’ve come all this way for some sort of practical joke? Brigadier, you haven’t been annoying the Doctor again, have you?”

“The Doctor wouldn’t do something like this,” he said. “Fiona, I’m sorry you had to come all the way down here for no reason, but I didn’t ask for you. Any of you.” He really couldn’t stress that enough. Or, at least, never at the same time.

Fiona drew back. “Alistair, I had to cancel my hair appointment. I would like an explanation.”

“So would I,” he put in. “Whoever’s behind it, it’s a damned cheek.”

She glanced behind her. “And, if you don’t mind me asking, who are these two anyway?”

“Dr Shaw used to work for us here,” put in the Brigadier smoothly. “She’s an outstanding scientist.”

Liz held out her hand to Fiona. “Yes, although he was rarely that flattering when I was here.”

“I can imagine,” said his ex-wife, shaking her hand. “And you?”

Doris sighed. “Oh, nobody so important. Miss Jones. I’m secretary to Sir George Harrington, for my sins. He often sends me when he’s too busy to tell the Brigadier that his budget plans have been rejected. I thought it was odd that he wanted to see me.”

“Well,” said Fiona, “I don’t pretend to understand a word of this, but it may be as well, because there were some things I needed to discuss with you, Alistair. However, if you’ve business with Dr Shaw or Miss Jones, I shall wait.” She couldn’t quite keep from adding, “I have grown used to that.”

He coughed. “No, well – since you’re here, Miss Shaw -.”

“ _Dr_ Shaw,” she corrected with a steely glint in her eyes that he recognised only too well. In fact, he thought, he’d missed it. “Yes, Brigadier?”

He smiled at her. “The Doctor came back with me – can’t make head nor tail of some disappearances, and there’s an odd substance we found lying about. He’ll never admit it, but he seems stumped for the moment, and I’d value a second opinion.”

“Since I’m here,” she said, “I may as well, otherwise this has been a complete waste of my time, Brigadier. Anyway, I’m not going to march off without saying hello to the Doctor.”

Fiona opened the door for her, and then stepped out after.

“Miss Jones, you said?” said the Brigadier, as the third visitor was about to make her escape. He quirked an eyebrow. “Not very imaginative, is it? And how did you know about Sir George?”

Doris stopped by the door, ignoring his questions. “I really don’t think I should stay, do you?”

“Secretary, is it now?” he added.

She gave a smile. “Well, what did you want me to say? I hardly think it was the moment to introduce myself as the Other Woman, and one always sounds so silly claiming to be a secret agent. Secretary is much closer to the truth, and anything else would be rather indiscreet. Alistair, who sent these things out? Whoever it was, they know more than they should -.”

“I’ve an idea,” he said. “And if I’m right, it shouldn’t trouble you – and it won’t happen again.”

She gave a rueful little smile. “Well, and I’m glad to hear it. Or I should be, I suppose -.”

“I’ll deal with it,” he said shortly, rising from the desk, and seeing her out, so that he could admit Fiona.

*

“Well,” said Fiona, taking a chair, “this does make a change. For the past few years, I’m sure I’ve had more conversations with Sergeant Benton, Captain Yates and Corporal Bell than with you -.”

“You know that’s an exaggeration -.”

She smiled at his discomfort. “I’m not sure it is. Now, there are a few matters I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, but one hardly likes to tell everything to the Sergeant, no matter how polite and friendly he is on the telephone. Firstly, there’s Kate.”

“Yes. There would be,” said the Brigadier, hoping that the Doctor would come to some conclusion regarding the latest mystery and burst in, unreasonably demanding that he get him something dangerous and improbable in order to defeat it. However, the fellow seemed to be still in the lab with Liz. He was feeling envious.

Fiona paused. “Alistair, please listen. It isn’t only military things that are important, you know. Although perhaps you _don’t_ and that explains almost everything -.”

“I’m listening.”

*

“My dear fellow," said the Doctor, watching him stride past with a dark expression on his face. “What is it? Not more disappearances in Worthing?”

He paused. “Disappearances? No, Doctor, quite the reverse. It’s nothing – merely that it occurs to me that I ought to have ensured that the Master was given no letter writing privileges when they locked him up, although how the fellow managed it, I’m damned if I know.”

“Liz was here,” he told him. Then it registered and he wrinkled his forehead. “The Master?”

The Brigadier said, “Yes. I did see her, thank you. And never mind – nothing that would interest you, Doctor.”

The Doctor watched him go, and raised both his eyebrows. There were times when there was no understanding Lethbridge-Stewart. After he’d gone to so much trouble to arrange that little surprise for him, too. He shook his head at the ingratitude and then started singing to himself as he made some further alterations to the TARDIS console.


End file.
